


A stranger state of mind

by minnsaniie



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Dare, Eventual Romance, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Texting, basically yeosang dares woo young to kiss a stranger, hehe, you can probably guess who that stranger is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:14:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnsaniie/pseuds/minnsaniie
Summary: It had been six months since Wooyoung had his heart thrown down the gutter, and he managed to convince himself that he’d never experience the same love again. His best friends tried to hook him up on multiple blind dates to get his mind off of it but nothing seemed to work. Two months later, his friends found out he was trying to get a hold of the jerk who broke his heart and he found himself blocking and deleting said person on every social media platform he was on. Although that helped, it never fixed the problem entirely. What Wooyoung didn’t understand is how, after all this time, just one day could turn his heart around to someone different.OrYeosang dares Wooyoung to kiss a stranger. Choi San happens to be that stranger.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	1. The Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! With this whole quarantine I've been considering to start writing again, and I finally did it!
> 
> This is my first fic on here so please be nice *(≧.≦)*
> 
> (If you read it already, I have edited this chapter, so please read the end again. Chapter 2 will make more sense if you do.)

It had been six months since Wooyoung had his heart thrown down the gutter, and he convinced himself that he’d never experience the same love again. His best friends tried to hook him up on multiple blind dates to get his mind off of it, but nothing seemed to work. Two months later, his friends found out he was trying to get a hold of the jerk who broke his heart and he blocked and deleting said person on every social media platform he was on. Although that helped, it never fixed the problem entirely.

Wooyoung had always had a tendency to overthink, and that trait had always backfired on him. Especially in situations like this. His feelings and thoughts swallowed him up whole and locked themselves in his mind. Fortunately, after those six months, Wooyoung had stopped thinking about Dohyun in that way. His heart no longer jumped at the sight of him, and the butterflies in his stomach had died.

What remained, however, was a constant cloud of insecurity that hung over his head. When he confessed to Dohyun months after he developed a liking towards him, he didn’t expect…

_“You’re in my dance composition class? No wonder I never noticed you. A fat boy doesn’t belong there.”_

_“Idiot, do you think I’d ever consider liking you?”_

He tried to shake the thoughts away, but always ended up harassing his own reflection. His best friend, Yeosang, had attempted to cheer him up with spontaneous plans to hang out with their friend group. But every single time Wooyoung turned him down, because he never had the motivation. One day, today, to be more specific, was different. To Yeosang’s surprise, Wooyoung had agreed to hang out with him after class. He now sat in their local cafe, tapping his fingers on the wooden table in front of him as he waited for his best friend to get back. Wooyoung looked around, realizing just how much he missed being outside. He had spent three months going to class and then heading straight home afterwards, not wanting to risk seeing Dohyun somewhere. He reprimanded himself for letting that fear stop him from spending time with his friends.

“Im back!” Yeosang announced as he walked over with said drinks in hand. “An Iced Americano, your favorite.” 

“Oh my god, I haven’t had decent coffee in forever.”

“Only you are to blame for that,” His best friend pointed a straw at him. “I did my best to convince you to leave the house.”

Wooyoung took a sip of his drink and groaned. “Fuck, that’s good” 

Yeosang made a face. “Please refrain from making sex noises while I’m trying to enjoy my coffee.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes and continued to drink. “What made you leave the house, anyway?”

Wooyoung didn’t know how to answer that question. _What had made him leave the house?_ He could say he finally started ignoring Dohyun’s remarks, but both him and Yeosang would know that isn’t true. “I guess I was just tired of doing the same things every day.” Yeosang nodded like he understood what he meant, taking one last sip from his drink and leaning back.

“Should we use this change of heart to do something fun?” He grinned cheekily. “Maybe a dare.”

Wooyoung raised an eyebrow. “You’re bringing our dares back?”

“We used to do them all the time! Especially with Yunho and Mingi.”

“Why now though?”

“You finally agreed to hang out more often, and we stopped doing them after you locked yourself in the apartment.” Yeosang commented. “No better time than the present!” Wooyoung stayed silent, contemplating the idea. Yeosang scooted closer to him. “Please.”

“Fine, I’ll do one.” 

Wooyoung could practically see the gears turning in the older’s head as he looked around the room. He looked back at Wooyoung and shared an evil smile. “I dare you to kiss the first person who comes through those doors.” He points at the glass doors that marked the entrance of the cafe. The younger’s eyes widen. _Kiss someone?_ The last time he did that had been last year before he had caught feelings for Dohyun. He opened his mouth to protest, but Yeosang stopped him. “I know what you’re thinking but you have to forget about him, he isn’t relevant anymore. Plus, not everyone is a fucking jerk. Have some faith.”

Wooyoung sighed. “The world doesn’t work that way, Yeo. I’ll probably have to kiss some ugly stranger who hasn’t showered in days and smells like-” Before he could finish his sentence, a tiny ringing sound interrupted their conversation. They both turned their head to the door where someone had just stepped into the cafe. Wooyoung raked his eyes over the boy, starting down at his black sneakers to his fluffy looking, black hair. His hair was colored with a single white streak, a strange choice if you asked him, but nonetheless quite fitting on the stranger. He was wearing a hoodie that matched his shoes in colour, and a pair of jeans. When he focused on the stranger's face Wooyoung almost found himself distracted. He had a soft and clear complexion and sharp cat-like eyes that seemed to observe every part of his surroundings. 

Yeosang’s voice broke into his thoughts and loudly cleared his throat. Wooyoung sat up straight, realizing he was staring. His best friend looked at him with a knowing grin and looked in the boy’s direction. "Ugly and smelly huh?"

Wooyoung playfully hit the other's leg under the table. "Shut up."

“What are you waiting for?” Wooyoung grumbled a complaint and stood up, nervously looking back at Yeosang who gave him an overly enthusiastic thumbs up. He pointed at his best friend. “Get ready to run.”

Wooyoung took a breath and slowly headed towards the boy who now stood near their table, waiting for his drink. Wooyoung proceeded carefully, taking the time to observe the boy in front of them. He noticed his bag had their university’s logo on it and frowned. 

_He's a student? How come I’ve never noticed him before? He's pretty..._ Wooyoung shook his head and scolded himself. _What are you saying?_

As quick as he could, he walked right in front of the boy, tapping his shoulder. The other boy noticed his presence and looked up with a frown. Only then Wooyoung noticed the cute mole that sat on the boy's left cheek. The stranger's intense gaze almost made him step back. Wooyoung's hands were fidgeting. He hadn't kissed someone is such a long time, what if he missed the stranger's lips? Or bit him by accident? He tried to calm himself down, wiping his clammy hands on his jeans. He raised them to the boys face, softly holding it and pulled him into a kiss. Wooyoung kept his eyes closed, ignoring his thoughts and instead concentrating on the feeling of the other’s lips against his. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like time had stopped. The other boy had remained frozen, probably in shock, but didn’t stop him or push him off. Wooyoung pulled away, hesitantly opening his eyes to get a glimpse of the boy’s reaction. He met the other’s surprised gaze and blushed, not letting him speak, instead grabbing his best friend’s hand and pulling him out of the cafe. Leaving the pretty stranger behind.

Wooyoung ran as fast as his legs would let him, still feeling the heat of embarrassment on his cheeks. Yeosang followed, unable to contain his laughter when they stopped, and he saw Wooyoung’s face. 

“You did it!” Yeosang said after catching his breath. “For a second I thought you would chicken out.”

Wooyoung brought his hand up to his lips where the faint touch of the boy’s lips lingered. For a second, he wished he had stayed to check if the boy had reacted the same way, or if he had completely disgusted him. Wooyoung silently hoped it wasn’t the latter. He looked up at Yeosang and mumbled. “Me too.”

His best friend sent him a concerned look and asked. “You okay, Woo?” Wooyoung nodded. “Are you sure? You looked weird for a second-”

“No, I’m fine.” _I’m not fine._

Yeosang didn't seem entirely convinced. "We both have classes tomorrow and still have to finish an assignment due. You want to go to the library on campus? I'll text Yunho and Mingi to meet us there?"

Wooyoung shrugged. "Why not? I haven't seen them in a while anyways."

 _Maybe it'll get this boy off my mind_.

•••••

_I spoke too soon._

Half an hour later, both boys sat in the corner of the library, when Song Mingi stomped in their direction and yelled.

"YOU KISSED A STRANGER??"

Wooyoung recoiled in his seat as the people around them gave them weird stares. He watched as Mingi excitedly approached them with a wide smile, his eyes smiling along too. 

Yunho followed behind him, more quietly than the other but the excitement still showing in his face. Wooyoung noticed Yunho's hair wasn't brown anymore, a bright blue color had taken it's place. Yunho slapped his hands on their table excitedly. "Does this mean Wooyoung is finally back?!"

He frowned. "When was I gone in the first place?"

Mingi sat down and gave him a look. "You mean the last three months wasn't you avoiding all social contact and hiding away in your apartment?"

"You got me." Wooyoung looked at him sheepishly. "But yeah, I'm back. For good, I promise."

Yunho leaned forward and ruffled his hair, his puppy like eyes lighting up at his words. "About time we got our Wooyoung back!" He sat down next to Mingi and crossed his arms over the table. "Now, how about you tell us about that kiss?"

Mingi and Yeosang wiggled his eyebrows and poked him. "Oooh."

Wooyoung poked Yeosang back agressively. "Shut up, you idiot. You were there!"

Yunho and Mingi stared at him, expectantly waiting for the details. Wooyoung sighed and told them exactly what had happened, leaving out his own thoughts about the boy. If he told the others how that kiss mafe him feel, and how pretty he thought the stranger was, they wouldn't hesitate to try and set him up. Wooyoung was sure an awkward encounter with the boy he kissed was NOT what he wanted. After all, what if the other had reacted like Dohyun? Wooyoung felt nauseous just thinking about it. So he opted to leave it out of the conversation .

Yunho, of course, didn't hesitate to ask him. "Was he hot?"

The others looked at him, intrigued. He kept quiet, blush rising to his cheeks. He internally cursed at himself for being flustered so easily. Yeosang answered instead, with a teasing tone. "He was staring at the boy the minute he got inside the café."

Wooyoung scoffed. "No I wasn't." But the blush in his cheeks indicated otherwise. The others cooed at his reaction and continued to tease him. "I was just surprised that he wasn't that bad looking..." His voice got lower as he finished the sentence.

Mingi squealed and jumped up, pointing at Wooyoung. "Wooyoungie's got a crush!"

Yunho joined him. And so did Yeosang, despite Wooyoung's threats to 'invert his ribcage'. By the time they left the library, it was impossible to convince the boys he didn't have a crush. Yunho and Mingi demanded to hear more details via their groupchat before hugging them and waving goodbye as they left. Yeosang looped his arm around Wooyoung and dragged him back to their place, insisting that he wanted more details too. Luckily for Wooyoung, Yeosang had barely finished all the work at the library and had to stay up studying, which meant no time to question Wooyoung about the pretty stranger.

Two hours later, Yeosang was on the living room table, shuffling through papers and unfinished notes. Wooyoung already lay in bed, sleepily staring at the ceiling, deciding to ignore the coursework that was waiting for him. He continued to wonder why his heart beat unusually fast every time he thought of the boy he had kissed. _You probably won't see him again_ , he thought. But then his mind shifted to the boy's bag, which had the logo of their school embedded into it. _If he's a student there, I'll inevitably bump into him_. Wooyoung's thoughts began swarming his mind, filling it with questions he really didn't want to think about. He set an alarm before covering himself with his blanket, trying to get some sleep and trying so hard not to think of the boy with the pretty cat eyes.


	2. Thinking Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to San after the kiss?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! A new chapter!

San had come to his favorite cafe that morning, happy he had the time to chug some bottled energy before his afternoon practice. He walked in, the sound of the ringing bell echoing behind him, and stood in line. While San internally debated on his choice of caffeine, his phone continued to buzz in his pocket. He decided to ignore it and instead responded to the cashier who had welcomed him, and started to order. San thanked the employee and moved along to the other side of the bar, digging out his vibrating phone.

**[Angry bird]:**

where are you?

we only have two hours to practice

**[Sani]:**

At the cafe

I know, I’ll be there in 10 minutes

**[Angry bird]:**

hurry up.

**[Sani]:**

okay mom

**[Angry bird]:**

Stop calling me mom or I wont do the group final with you

**[Sani]:**

*seonghwa

**[Angry bird]:**

You brought the speaker right?

San was typing a reply when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced up from his phone to see a familiar black-haired boy in front of him.

 _Jung Wooyoung_. He first noticed the boy back in September when he walked in their dance composition class wearing the tightest jeans he had ever seen. Their teacher didn’t hesitate to reprimand the boy, scolding him for wearing ‘the wrong attire’. Wooyoung had just smiled and apologized, walking towards his group of friends who poked and teased him about it. At the time, it was impossible not to notice him. He always appeared to have a smile on his face and was the loudest voice in the room. But it never remained that way.

A week before fall midterms, San headed to their class studio to practice but found it occupied by Wooyoung. He was ready to leave when heard a loud thud from inside, so he peeked in to make sure everything was fine. He only saw his classmate’s silhouette, curled up on the floor and illuminated by the light coming from the window. San could hear the faint sound of his heavy breathing, but only realized something was wrong when Wooyoung raised his his head. He saw his classmate look at himself in the mirror with bloodshot eyes, and flinched when he yelled in frustration. Wooyoung threw his phone at the mirror and ran his hands through his hair, pulling on it while letting the tears run freely down his face. San never knew the reason why he cried, but Wooyoung had never come in class with the same smile ever since that day.

For the past six months, the boy seemed rather reserved towards other people, and only talked to two other boys, who were his friends. He had wanted to ask Wooyoung if he was okay ever since, but he didn’t want to seem like a stalker. Although they shared the same class every week, they never interacted, which made San wonder what exactly the boy needed from him now. He was about to open his mouth to ask that exact question when Wooyoung lifted his hands to San’ face, holding it in the most gentle grip possible, and kissed him.

The second their lips brushed San turned to stone. His eyes widened as he stood motionless, unable to move. His first instinct was to pull away from the kiss, but his body didn’t listen. After a few seconds, the black-haired boy pulled away and glanced at him. His cheeks were flushed and he once again interrupted San by running away before he could talk. Wooyoung sped out of the cafe hand in hand with another boy, but San was too preoccupied by the stares he was getting to catch a glimpse of him. It looked like he had an audience when he came back to his senses and looked around. The people at the bar and a few who were seated stared at him with both curiosity and disgust. Some were giggling with their friends and pointing at San.

“Iced Caramel Macchiato?”

San thanked the barista and grabbed his drink, avoiding the other customers and leaving the coffee shop as fast as he could. He took out his phone, five unread messages from Seonghwa popped up on the screen. San didn’t bother answering, he just speed walked to the practice studio, where his best friend waited. Let’s just say Seonghwa wasn’t very enthused by the idea of San arriving fifteen minutes after he said he would.

“I’m sorry, Hwa! I swear!” He apologized profusely as the other ran after him with his shoe. “Something came up, I tried getting here as fast as I could!”

Seonghwa glared at him and put his shoe back on. “You better have the speaker.” San shuffled through his bag and took out his speaker, handing it to the other. “Good. What happened to you anyway? You got here all red and sweaty. Did you run into someone?”

San tilted his head. “Uh. Something like that.” Before Seonghwa could ask more questions, San put his bag down and changed into a short sleeved shirt. “I’ll tell you later. We have an hour and thirty minutes to start practice. Let’s not waste it.”

* * *

The two boys finished their practice just when two of their classmates knocked on the studio door. San wiped his face with his shirt and took a large sip of his water. Seonghwa opened the door and greeted the newcomers. “Hey!”

“Hey Hwa, hi San!” Yunho waved at the sweaty boys. “I’m guessing practice went well?”

San nodded with a tired smile. “Thankfully, we lost a little studio time though.”

“That was your fault.” Hwa retorted. “You still have to tell me why you were late.”

“Late?” Mingi frowned. “That’s not typical of San, he’s always early to class.”

San waved their curious glances away and stood up, putting on his hoodie and grabbing his bag. “Nothing bad, I promise. Just unusual and weird.” He walked towards the door and patted Mingi’s back. “Good luck with your practice. Let’s go, Hwa.”

Seonghwa followed, sending a smile and a thumbs up to the other two before closing the door behind him. He caught up to San who was already walking towards the dormsand sighed. “So are you going to tell me what that unusual and weird thing that happened is?”

San looked at him. “I’ll tell you when we get to our dorm.”

* * *

“Jung Wooyoung?” San nodded. “Yunho and Mingi’s best friend Jung Wooyoung? The same Jung Wooyoung you’re always staring at in class?”

“Yes, Hwa-” San frowned. “I do not stare at him.”

Hwa laughed. “Yes you do. You have been for a few months now.” San ignored him.

“Maybe he has a crush on you?”

“He hasn’t spared me more than a glance this entire year, why would he suddenly notice me?” San questioned, finding the whole idea entirely ridiculous. He threw himself on his bed and groaned. “You want to know the worst part?” Seonghwa waited. “I didn’t stop him.”

“You _didn’t_?”

“No.”

Seonghwa narrowed his eyes. “Why?” San sat up and shrugged. “Maybe you liked it?’

San looked at Seonghwa like he just came out of a spaceship. “ _Liked_ it? Where are you getting that idea?”

His best friend maneuvered his way around their bags and sat next to san. “You didn’t stop him, you are still thinking about it, you aren't disgusted by it-”

He actually considered it for a second. Ever since the fall, it felt like San had set a reminder in the back of his mind to check on the black-haired boy. He constantly waited for him to get to class, hoping one day that bright smile would waltz inside like it did in early September, the first time he saw him. It never happened, but San still hoped. He found Wooyoung very endearing, he had a cute smile and never failed to remain energetic and positive in class. San always wished he knew what changed Wooyoung from someone who lights up the room into someone so quiet with a ghostly presence. His encounter with him at the cafe was the first time San had seen Wooyoung outside of class in months.

“-an? San? Are you listening to me?”

“You might be right.”

“So you liked the kiss?”

“I think-” San paused, unsure of how he felt. "I think I might like _him_. But I don't know for sure."

Seonghwa didn't seem at all surprised. He nodded and looked down at his lap. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you did." Confused, San looked at his best friend. Did he really never notice his concern for Wooyoung become more than just genuine worry this entire time? Sure, Wooyoung was cute. San always found himself looking at him during class, noticing tiny things, like the way he scrunches his nose when he's concentrated or when he seems more tired on certain days. San had grown fond of him, and wanted to see him smile like he used to. It hurt to see that he was suffering this entire time, and it hurt more when San realized he wasn't able to do anything about it. "Every time you glanced at him in class, I could see the worry in your face. I don't know exactly what happened to him but If you're really concerned why don't you talk to him?"

"I don't know, wouldn't it be weird?"

"You have more of a reason to. He kissed you without explanation. You could ask him why he did it." Seonghwa's suggestion didn't sound too bad, San could probably make it work. 

"Alright, we have dance composition class on Monday. I'll ask him then."

_Monday. In four days. He'll ask him then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh! Looking forward to Monday are we? Hope you guys liked the chapter!


	3. Oh, It's You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday has come.

San is awake, and, for a moment, forgets what day it is. Thankfully, his phone is there to remind him.

_ Monday. _

He sits up drowsily, rubbing his eyes to check again.

_ Still Monday. _

He groans audibly and lets himself fall back on the mattress. The date triggered a tiny feeling of anxiety in his chest when he reminds himself what he had planned to do today. Hesitation inhabits the back of his mind as he kicks off the blankets living by his feet. Clanging noises come from their tiny kitchen, making his roommate’s presence known. San stands up and drags himself out of bed, stopping by the bathroom to wash his face. 

After freshening up, he walks over to the kitchen counter and sits down to watch Seonghwa make them some coffee. Once he’s done, he passes the drink to San, who smiles and accepts the drink with a mumbled thank you. The older boy eyes him as he sips his drink. “You should get dressed, Sani. It’s already seven forty, we’re supposed to be on campus at eight if we want to be on time.”

San looks up at him and sighs. “On time for what? Class starts at eight thirty.”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Ms. Kim is assigning the final projects and you have to talk to Wooyoung-”  San groans.  Seonghwa sets his drink down with “San, if you don’t talk to him now you never will. You have a valid reason to start a conversation, use it.” San is about to protest but one glare from his roommate shuts him up. “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes, so hurry.”

San takes a last sip of his coffee and stands up. Five minutes later he is browsing through his closet, shuffling through endless shirts and sweatpants. After the longest time San’s ever taken to pick out his clothes, he settles on a pair of black cargo pants and a white shirt, accompanying them with his worn out black shoes he wore every day to class. They leave their dorm in a rush, Seonghwa lightly shoving San outside as soon as the younger showed signs of doubt towards his outfit choices. 

Once they get to their class studio they notice they’re the first ones there. Their teacher arrives a few minutes later, praising the two boys for getting to class extra early. She settles herself in the corner and shuffles through her papers. Instead of feeling praised, San’s nerves are a bit shaken up, the only thing his teacher does is remind him why they came early in the first place. They begin their stretching while they wait for more students to fill the room, specifically Wooyoung. San is flexible, so the warm up doesn’t take him much effort. He is stretching on the ballet barre with his leg perched when he hears some students walk in. 

-

Wooyoung waltzed into class with Yunho and Mingi at 8:20 that morning. He was early for the first time in months and had a visibly genuine smile on his face. His friends were loudly engaged in a conversation with him. They were hoping to help him keep Wooyoung relaxed and happy by avoiding all contact with the jerk whom they all, unfortunately, shared class with. Yunho ushered them to their usual corner to stretch. 

This final test was completed in either pairs or groups. Luckily their teacher had grouped them together this time but he wasn’t sure if Ms. Kim was going to allow the same groups to work on the project together. Wooyoung followed Mingi and Yunho to their usual stretching corner and started warming up. Meanwhile, they talked about their possible grades for this and what their teacher could have planned next for their project. Wooyoung was still amid his stretching when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back and froze when he spotted a pair of eyes, resembling to those of a cat, looking back at him sharply. Stumbling, he stood up from his stretching position to face the boy. The stranger raised a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “Hi.”

“You’re the-”

"-guy you kissed at the coffee shop last Friday? Yeah.” 

_What was the boy he kissed doing here?_ Wooyoung knew he was a student, but he never expected the other to be in the same class as him. No wonder he looked familiar. The boy looked like he was about to speak again when Wooyoung bowed his head and closed his eyes, copious amounts of apologies falling out of his mouth. He spouts a profuse amount before the other stops him, peeking under Wooyoung’s hands and make eye contact with him. 

“Are you done?” He asks. Wooyoung nods and stands straight, looking at him. His classmate bows at him politely and smiles. “I’m Choi San.”

_Oh god, he has dimples._ “I’m Wooyoung.”

“I know, we’ve been classmates since September. You just looked surprised to see me, so I assumed you didn’t know I was in your class. ”

“I never noticed.” Wooyoung feels so embarrassed. Not only had he kissed his classmate, but now he seems like an asshole for not even knowing who he was in the first place. Although he didn’t even know San, he felt the need to apologize.

“Don’t feel bad, I don’t remember all my classmates either.” With that, he shook the guilty look off Wootoung’s face. But before he could relax, San continued to talk. “You do owe me an explanation for that kiss, though.”

“I’m sorry about that, again. It was a dare.” Wooyoung was so accustomed to being treated like shit by people like Dohyun, that San’s calm demeanor while handling the situation surprised him. 

“You really don’t have to apologize.” San repeated. “You made my morning more, uh, interesting.”  _Interesting?_ Wooyoung smiled. He felt the nerves slide off his shoulders when he heard what San said. They stayed quiet for a bit, neither of them feeling awkward but simultaneously not knowing what to say next. “Well, I should get back. My friend is waiting.”

“Right.”

San smiles, his dimples showing up on his cheeks. “I’ll see you around?” Wooyoung nods and watches him go. He turns to his friends who start bombarding him with questions. He does his best to answer that: _Yes_ , Choi San is the guy he kissed, and _no_ this didn’t mean he had a crush on him. 

“Do you think he is interested in you?” Yunho exclaims. Wooyoung slaps a hand over his mouth, looking over to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully, they were all too distracted bearing the pain of stretching. Through his covered mouth, Yunho speaks with a muffled voice. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Wooyoung uncovers his friend’s mouth and replies. “Yunho, we just kissed. He seemed friendly, don’t make it seem like more than it is.”

“But he's cute isn't he?” Mingi remarks. Wooyoung agrees because he really doesn’t want to get into a discussion with a 5 year old adult. Yunho and Mingi giggle in unison and drag Wooyoung to their floor spots, waiting for their teacher to start the class.

All the loud talking and chattering in the room ends with Ms.Kim, who whistles loud enough for the students to shut up and listen. She stands in front of her thirty students with pen and clipboard in hand. “Good morning my little dancers, you will be happy to know I have finished grading and last week’s assessment grades will be hung up on the door of this studio tomorrow morning.” The whole class started chattering, a mixture of worry, anxiety and joy could be heard echoing through the studio. The teacher shushed them once again and continued talking. “As you all know, I have been planning a final project. Don’t worry, not all of you will have to do it.”

A collective sigh that emerges from the group of students.

“This project is something all the performing arts teachers have come up with in order to give some of our excelling students the extra credit they deserve. It is similar to the final performance you all had to do in freshman year, but this time only two people from each class will do it. Don’t bother sweet-talking me, I already have my two choices.”

Half the class groans in complaint, while the others wait in anticipation, to see who their teacher had picked.

“These two students will have to compose a choreography and choose music by the end of this month. Since this year in composition, we have been focusing on contemporary and modern dance, this choreography will have to follow those styles. They will choose appropriate music, and perform their piece at the 2020 K-ARTS Showcase.” The class waits in silence for her to announce the dancers. “I have picked two talented students that meet all my requirements for this project, Choi San and Jung Wooyoung.”

Everyone’s eyes are on Wooyoung, including the person he detested most. He is frozen in place, not used to all the attention he is being given. He looks at his friends for help, but they just look at him and silently reassure him. Wooyoung looks towards his teacher, but a body obstructs his view. San is standing in front of him with a soft smile, dimples showing. He seems to be ignoring all the eyes that are staring at them and just looks at Wooyoung. San extends his hand out and offers it to him. “Guess, we’ll be seeing each other a lot more than we thought, huh?”

Wooyoung nods softly, not taking his eyes off of his classmate. He takes San’s hand and smiles back softly, forgetting about the unwanted attention more easily than he thought. San walked with him to the front of the class with a soft grip on his hand, which Wooyoung couldn’t stop looking at. _Why was he being so nice?_

Ms. Kim ended up dismissing the rest of the students. Everyone except Wooyoung, San and their friends stood inside the room. Ms. Kim sighed in content. “I think both of you will do a wonderful job. My instinct tells me you two will have great chemistry while performing. Please do not let me down.” Both boys bow to their teacher and reassure her that they will do their best. “Also, the next exams won’t happen until the end of next month, so you will have a lot of time to meet up and practice.” 

She looks at Wooyoung. “I know you have had a tough year so far, Wooyoung, but take this as a chance to make new friends and improve on your dancing. I’m glad to see you are smiling a lot more today.” 

Wooyoung smiles at her politely and thanks her for the advice. Their Teacher directs her gaze towards San this time. “San, I’m so proud of your progress this year, you have been a little distracted,” San blushes. “but I still have high expectations and believe you will work well with Wooyoung.”

San smiles at Wooyoung and blatantly says. “I think so too.” Wooyoung’s insides tingle when he hears such words come out of the boy’s lips. He looks down shyly. Their teacher waves them off and tells them to enjoy their day, moving back to collect her belongings. San grabs his bag and heads to where his another boy, who Wooyoung assumes is his friend, is waiting for him. Wooyoung grabs his own things and joins Yunho and Mingi, who stand unmoving and look behind him. He turns around to see San and his friend walking towards them. 

“Hey, Seonghwa and I,” San points at his friend, who gives them a tiny wave. “were wondering if you all wanted to have lunch with us now, if you don’t have any other classes.” San’s question was directed at all of them, but he was just glancing at Wooyoung. Mingi and Yunho didn’t hesitate to agree. Wooyoung looked at them, then back at San, who kept talking. “I just thought it would be easier for both of us to perform together if we got to know each other more.”

Wooyoung agrees, it would be so much easier to show emotion and have chemistry, like Ms. Kim had said, if he got to know San. What he finds surprising is that San is so nice to him, despite Wooyoung giving him a weird first impression during their first interaction in the cafe. He had a feeling about this boy that he couldn’t name. After debating with his thoughts he answers San with a small smile.

“Sure, why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for posting a bit late! I've been bombarded with school and didn't have time. But it's here now and I hope I didn't let you guys down!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it! I'll try to post the next chapter soon. Feel free to suggest prompts for any other fics you want to see in the future.


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